Remote site control innovation
SOME of the most demanding of applications require the automation to be dispersed across wide physical geographies. Robust, reliable, and configurable remote telemetry units or RTUs are deployed across the geography to support the needs of the application.
Quickpanel Control/View Windows CE-based controller.
The capabilities of these RTUs to autonomously control and monitor each location is critical and the RTUs must have communication options to allow for the coordination of the entire multi-RTU system.
Advances in automation technology have provided alternatives to traditional approaches to managing these remote sites – and helped users speed implementation, reduce costs, improve data integrity and resulting treatment processes, and significantly ease accessibility.
Integrated local operator interface
RTU controller capability often includes requirements for local operator interfaces at the RTU site. GE Fanuc QuickPanel View and Control products, available from iOpen , provide a wide-range of touchscreen options that facilitate flexible configuration, enhanced data buffering, and built-in web publishing capabilities.
The range of GE Fanuc RTUs covers virtually every communication option in terms of topologies such as fiber, radio, satellite, or telephone technology. There is also an RTU to support virtually any of the industry standard communication protocols such as Modbus, DNP, and IEC870.
Full-range of scalable capability
GE Fanuc provides a full range of controllers that share the single programming environment of Proficy Logic Developer.
Whether the RTU solution requires the robustness of a PACSystems controller or is better served with a smaller footprint controller from the VersaMax family, or the flexibility of the QuickPanel products, the RTU is programmed and configured in the same advanced engineering environment.
Proficy provides an optimum environment for developing re-usable code and minimising training costs.
Optimised SCADA/historian capabilities
GE Fanuc RTU offering is enhanced with a complete set of central system capability from Proficy HMI/SCADA.
Proficy has a globally installed base of hundreds of thousands of users and facilitates centralized alarming, on-line trouble shooting and complete Web-enabled access. GE Fanuc can also provide RTU capability which is completely integrated with Proficy Historian.
Proficy provides the basis for efficiently recording and managing large volumes of time-stamped data for analytical evaluation, RTU/complete system diagnostics, and as the basis for compliance reporting.
Better data, lower implementation costs
The advent of standard computing technology to these remote automation locations has an impact on how designers are architecting the overall system.
These CE-based controllers have access to standard low-cost memory capability and thus have the capacity to store larger amounts of recorded data local to the application.
These controllers typically have a resident storage capacity of 32MB and Compact Flash expansion port for additional storage. At a minimum, this data can be used to provide the local operator with insights into longer periods of process history for evaluation and action.
This expanded local storage allows for more raw data to be captured and stored in standard formats. This data can be time-stamped at the time of collection for the clearest and simplest way of labeling the data. There is no manipulation of the data necessary to compact it or artificially aggregate it.
The polling sequence from the centralised HMI/SCADA system can be designed to be a connectivity sequence rather than a polling sequence. The central system can establish a connection to the remote automation location that is not intended to pass the “current” value of process parameters.
Instead, the centralized system uses standard computing capability to copy the raw data files that completely describe the disconnected period in the absolute best terms. The data is then loaded into a central historian, which provides a comprehensive history of all aspects of the system.
The centralised HMI/SCADA system will not be required to poll the memory map of the local controller. Alternatively, the central system will synchronise alarm and event databases to allow for the passage of locally time-stamped alarms to the central system.
These alarms will reflect the actual timestamp of the alarm condition, and no alarms or events will be missed due to the intermittent connections.
Finally, users at the central location can access the same screens that are local to the application. The Quickpanel CE-based device publishes the graphic screens and can be accessed through standard web browsers such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape.
This allows for the optimum insight into local operating conditions without pre-configuration of access or excess coordination of central and remote setup.
The simple change in the access of remote automation locations delivers significant benefits to both large and small systems. The data integrity is better and the data inherently more valuable for evaluation due to the collection of complete data sets. Access to real-time status and action can be executed on demand from standard browsers with no intermediate technology.
10-Aug-2005